How often have we heard our parents quote the same? Now our children are hearing us speak the identical words: "It seems like only yesterday..." and "Where has time gone?" All parents with regard to infants, toddlers, teenagers, and adult children alike repeat these expressions of love and awe toward our growing children. No matter our age, we are all children continually involved in the learning process. We seek attention and guidance in the learning process with an objective to become independent and responsible adults. It is my philosophy that children grow, learn and evolve through us, not because of us. I believe that commitment to life-long learning is key to successful teaching, and modeling this commitment to my students is most important because they see, first-hand, that I also continue to grow, learn and evolve, through my experiences, as a teacher.
While in the classroom, what I keep in mind is that, firstly, I am teaching children, not science. I am there to offer support, guidance, resources and the tools necessary to gain success. Encouraging words and high expectations, probing and thought-provoking questions, textbooks, visual aids, hands-on activities, demonstrations and technology are some of the tools I use frequently. Providing the necessary tools enables student productivity while lessening student "helplessness." Secondly, I keep in mind that science is the vehicle I use to move them toward success in my classroom. What they learn in my classroom is how I measure their success as students and also, my success as a teacher. The science content is very special in that it can connect to every aspect of students' lives, generating enthusiasm and curiosity in their learning. I like to ask students to name one thing in their every day life. I then connect that one thing to science in some way. For example, a traffic light: "That is connected to magnetism. When you are in your car sitting at a red light, the iron parts of your car move over buried coils changing the magnetic field in the coils. This change induces a voltage that triggers the traffic light to change. I bet this is what you'll think about every time you pull up to a traffic light now!" Making the content meaningful and relevant to students' lives may just change the way they look at life around them.
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I believe that learning is an individual activity, but not a solitary one. It is more effective when it takes place within a supportive community of learners. I enjoy having the students involved in whole group discussions and working in structured collaborative groups. It teaches them more than learning to cooperate with each other; they are cooperating to learn, each taking responsibility for their work while contributing to the group as a whole. While learning science content in this manner, the students are also learning some valuable life skills. The benefits are tremendous. It encourages each student to do well, share responsibility, and to focus on academic and "teamwork" skills, helping them to realize their true potential, that each individual has something to offer. My hope is for all students to take responsibility for their learning, with guidance and support, in my classroom, and beyond. code
Teaching Philosophy
"They grow up so fast..."
How often have we heard our parents quote the same? Now our children are hearing us speak the identical words: "It seems like only yesterday..." and "Where has time gone?" All parents with regard to infants, toddlers, teenagers, and adult children alike repeat these expressions of love and awe toward our growing children. No matter our age, we are all children continually involved in the learning process. We seek attention and guidance in the learning process with an objective to become independent and responsible adults. It is my philosophy that children grow, learn and evolve through us, not because of us. I believe that commitment to life-long learning is key to successful teaching, and modeling this commitment to my students is most important because they see, first-hand, that I also continue to grow, learn and evolve, through my experiences, as a teacher.
While in the classroom, what I keep in mind is that, firstly, I am teaching children, not science. I am there to offer support, guidance, resources and the tools necessary to gain success. Encouraging words and high expectations, probing and thought-provoking questions, textbooks, visual aids, hands-on activities, demonstrations and technology are some of the tools I use frequently. Providing the necessary tools enables student productivity while lessening student "helplessness." Secondly, I keep in mind that science is the vehicle I use to move them toward success in my classroom. What they learn in my classroom is how I measure their success as students and also, my success as a teacher. The science content is very special in that it can connect to every aspect of students' lives, generating enthusiasm and curiosity in their learning. I like to ask students to name one thing in their every day life. I then connect that one thing to science in some way. For example, a traffic light: "That is connected to magnetism. When you are in your car sitting at a red light, the iron parts of your car move over buried coils changing the magnetic field in the coils. This change induces a voltage that triggers the traffic light to change. I bet this is what you'll think about every time you pull up to a traffic light now!" Making the content meaningful and relevant to students' lives may just change the way they look at life around them.
.
I believe that learning is an individual activity, but not a solitary one. It is more effective when it takes place within a supportive community of learners. I enjoy having the students involved in whole group discussions and working in structured collaborative groups. It teaches them more than learning to cooperate with each other; they are cooperating to learn, each taking responsibility for their work while contributing to the group as a whole. While learning science content in this manner, the students are also learning some valuable life skills. The benefits are tremendous. It encourages each student to do well, share responsibility, and to focus on academic and "teamwork" skills, helping them to realize their true potential, that each individual has something to offer. My hope is for all students to take responsibility for their learning, with guidance and support, in my classroom, and beyond.
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